Clearance: Famag IM-10S Mixer, Arctic White

I have a large wood fired oven in which I can bake 8 to 10 loaves of bread at one time. Additionally I make a dozen or more pizza dough balls at a time and freeze the ones I don’t use. I tried the larger Kitchen Aid mixer to make my dough but I had to make multiple batches for the quantity of dough I normally use, and I had smoke coming out of the back of my KA while making pizza dough (I turned it off quickly and averted damage).

I ran a 3kg batch of dough to test it out. It never hesitated and the bread was phenomenal. The second batch was similar in size except when it was done kneading my wife asked me to put some olives in the bread. No problem and it did not beat up the olives too bad.

There was a very simple problem with the 1st machine and when I called and described it to Darren, a new one was on its way in less than a blink of an eye. The machine will be easy to service with large removable access panels and simple construction and steel moving parts. The problem with the 1st machine was a missing Allen screw. A
simple item available at any auto part store (parts are metric).

It weighs about 80 lbs, not a problem for me to move it, but a factor to consider.

If you make dough frequently I highly recommend this mixer.

I consider this machine to be the pinnacle in my search for the mixer that meets my bread baking needs. I started many years ago by hand and being basically lazy bought a Bosch in 25 years, then won a second in a drawing, which upped my production, but still wasn't quite happy with my dough. Next I went with an Ankarsrum which I love but was back to small batches again. I then went to a 20qt Hobart which was great for capacity but it put my dough back to what I was getting with the Bosch. Enter the Famag 10. I've used this machine three times now with 6 lb. batches and already the dough quality is up where I was with the Ank. And I feel like it'll just get better from there. The speed control is amazing and nothing seems to slow it down. My only wish is that I would like a timer on it. I'm going to look online and see if I can find one that plugs in. If I was pleasant hill grain I would see about offering one as an accessory. Pleasant Hill Grain is the best to work with, never a problem and I have ordered several products for myself and my daughters through the years. They even held shipment of my mixer till our kitchen remodel was finished (part of the negotiations to acquire my new mixer) his and her new pantries to finish up great machine.

First complaint is no directions. There is one small pamphlet and for the 10S (called 10/10 speed in the pamphlet) it says there is Button "1" which activate the movement of the rotating parts and Button "0" which arrests the movement of the rotating parts, and the Potentiometer which regulates the speed. Wrong! There is one switch that allows you to rotate in one direction or the other and a stop in the middle and then the knob which allows you to regulate the speed. So which way should I rotate? And do I start slow and work up to faster or the other was around? Supposedly I can make 26 lbs of dough but I seriously doubt that. I have made 7 batches at 14 lbs each and there is little room for more. Not knowing what direction I should spin I have tried both and the dough immediately rises up to stick to the top of the machine in the "reverse" direction making the machine a nightmare to clean. And for my biggest complaint - not a single batch came out without a lot of dry ingredients left at the bottom and there were dry lumps in the dough. I ran it as long as 7 minutes hoping it would pick up the dry ingredients but I don't think it can because of the shape of the bowl. I was adding 2389 g of H2O to 4130 g of dry. Once I tried adding a little more water to see if it could grab the dry stuff at the bottom and the machine would not run. I had to knead each mess that came out of the bowl for several minutes just to try and get it smooth and to separate the pile of dry crumbs

The FAMAG 10S spiral mixer performed as advertised. It arrived just as I was getting ready to mix a 10.5 kg batch of sourdough. I decided to push this mixer to its limit from the start and it performed very well. Although this model has a dough capacity of 11.8 kg, I could keep it around 8-9 kg. I had to scrape the bowl a few time to ensure the flour that likes to hide in the edge of the bowl was mixed in. Probably not an issue with a high-hydration dough. This model comes with a reverse drive!!! I must have missed that in the details but is a valued feature to mix up our doughs. The size is suitable for a cottage bakery and being able to remove the bowl for cleaning is another huge plus. I look forward to many more mixes with this work horse.

Knowing the item was out of stock, I ordered based on anticipated "in stock" date. Spoke with two different staff over the next week. I was impressed they went the extra step each time to check status on a back order, locate and confirm arrival date. Mixer got here on date promised, in perfect condition.

As for the mixer, the Famag IM-10, it is simply superb. After 30 years as a hobby baker, making 200 loaves a week for the local Farmers Market, I am so very impressed with both the operation of the machine and the quality of the bread! And my customers are raving too!

My wife's "Out-of -the-house" baking business has been helped so much by this machine. The breads are even more fabulous than before. Please look at the photos of her breads since working with the Famag 10. Angelcraftsbakery. com

The only other spiral mixer I have used is a large commercial one during my time in Italy. This smaller version works very well. It is quiet and seems well-made. I did not think I'd need the variable speed control since the mixer I was used to using had only two speeds. I find, though, that the variable speed is useful and I use it almost every time.

Best dough mixer I ever bought. Yes it's not cheap, but so worth the price... quality couldn't be better. The results of my pizza dough are beyond what I expected. It makes a world of difference in the end result taste. So happy I chose to go with the Famag mixer.

Delighted with the purchase